Combination road building machine and concrete spreader



July 31, 1945. J. NJ-lELTZ EL 2,380,435

COMBINATION ROAD BUIIIDING MACHINE AND CONCRETE SPREADER Filed Ot. 26, 1940. 3; Sheets -Sheet 1 Vi 51% for 5 We i-5 3 2:;

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'J. vN. HELTZEL COMBINATION ROAD BUILDING MACHINE AND CONCRETE SPREADER Filed 00?,- 26, 1940 July 31, 1945. E 'J. N, H ELTZEL 2,380,435 pMBINATIbN ROAD BUILDING MACHINE AND CONCRETE SPREADER Filed Oct. 26, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet s @577, Elit (ittomeg s.

' screedingof the plastic concrete road under con- Patented July 31, 1945 COMBINATION ROAD BUILDING MACHINE AND CONCRETE SPREADER John N. Heltzel, Warren, Ohio Application October 26, 1940, Serial No. 363,056

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in combination road building machine and concrete spreader, and has for its general purpose the building and finishingof concrete roads.

The invention contemplates not only the treatment of the concrete after it has been poured between the side forms but provides for an extension in front of the finishing machine which acts to prepare the subgrade favorably for the laying of concrete slabs in a manner to compact the subgrade whereby the slabs may more easily move or slide thereon in obedience to the contracting and expanding movement of such slabs.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine particularly for the spreading of substantially dry concrete laterally over a roadway and simultaneously vibrating the concrete while it is being laterally spread, followed by a screeding operation, in which the screed reciprocates transversely over the roadway, the screed being vibrated if desired. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a vibrated tamper, in which the tamper reciprocates up and down and tamps the concrete and is simultaneously vibrated. 25

A further object of the invention is to provide 7 a reciprocating surfacing screed adapted to be reciprooated by a hydraulic ram or other hydraulic device instead of by the usual mechanical means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a vibrated subgrader subjected to vibratory action during its normal operation of removing the earth.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in conjunction with the subgrader, a subgrade smoothing device spaced relatively to the spreader or spreaders of theflnishing machine to enable in sequence the removal of earth, the compacting and the smoothing of the subgrade. the lateral and longitudinal spreading of the plastic concrete poured on such prepared subgrade and the screeding, tamping and follow-up struction. I a V The invention consists in certain improvements over my prior Patents Nos. 1,977,850, granted October 23, 1934 and 1,996,153, granted April 2, 1935.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will lie-more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein iii e symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several ews,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an improved road building machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

a Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing a pitman and eccentric method of screed operation.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a screed adjusting device with the screed in section.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a slightly'modiiled form of the lateral spreading devices.

Figure '7 is a side elevational view of the parts shown in Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

l6 designates the side forms defining the roadway and between which the concrete is poured by a paver or mixing machine onto the subgrade in the customary manner. The carriage of the conventional finishing machine is represented generally at I! and is supported for movement upon the wheels l8 which roll along upon the tops of the side forms It in a manner well known in the art. It is also well known that these wheels l8 may be driven by sprocket and chain transmission 10 or otherwise from a power unit installed on the carriage as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The structural frame ll of the machine is also well known in the art.

At'the front of the machine is carried in a usual manner the front screed IS on which are mounted one or more vibrators 20. Besides the vibratory action communicated to the screed I! by the vibrators 20, such screed is given the usual lateral reciprocation across the roadway by well known means either hydraulic or mechanical. One form of mechanical device is shown in Figure 4 and embodies a pitman 88 having a pivotal connection at 89 with the screed l9 and driven from shaft 92 by eccentric SI and eccentric strap 7 I 90. The screed may also be raised or lowered away from or down to the-concrete in a conventional manner. One device for accomplishing this purpose is shown in Figure 5, which is similar to the device illustrated in Figure 15 of my prior Patent 1,996,153. Inaccordance with such construction, one or more chains 98 are connected to the screed I9 and to suitable winding or lifting means 84 on the carriage for conveniently raising and lowering the screed l9. Such mechanism is well known in the art.

Supported by extension beams or outrigger: 2i

is bulkhead member 22 extending across in front of the screed and at an elevation above the front or apron of the screed. Such bulkhead 22 ca -ies one track member 23 which cooperates with a companion track member 24 parallel therewith to provide a transverse runway for the wheels 25 of a transverse carriage 26. The transversely moving carriage supports a transverse spreader plate 21.

As shown in Figure 2 a socket member 28 is pivoted to the central portion of the spreader plate 21, such socket member 28 being carried by the screw shaft 29 rotatable by the hand wheel 36 and having threaded engagement with an insert nut 3| (shown in Figure 3) and aiiixed to the transverse carriage 26. By. rotating the hand wheel 30 in one or the other direction the screw shaft 29 may be made to move down or up through the nut 3| and the transverse carriage 26 for the purpose of raising and lowering the spreader plate 21. Tothe spreader plate are also connected at opposite sides of the socket member pairs of arms 32, diverging upwardly in a substantially V formation (see Figure 3) and having at their upper ends forks 33 for straddling the shafts 34 upon which the wheels 25 of the transverse carriage 26 are mounted. The forks 33 are open at their upper ends to admit of their original assembly upomand their removal at any time from, the shafts 34; such forks 33 being elongated over the diameter of such shafts 34 to permit of a loose play substantially vertically in the movement of the arms 32 up and down in accompaniment to the adjusting action upon the spreader plate 21 of the screw shaft 29.

The transverse carriage 26 may be given a continuous reciprocating action back and forth across the roadway by any suitable means, for instance by a cable 35 the opposite ends of which are attached to opposite sides of the carriage 26 at the points indicated at 36 and 31 in Figure 1. This cable is looped around pulleys 36 at the sides of the machine and is wound around a spool or drum 39. The spool 39 may be rotated in selectively opposite directions by any suitable means, for instance by a reversible electric motor 46 which is supplied with current from the motor generator unit 4|.

The transverse carriage 26 is preferably equipped with one or more vibrators 42, the vibratory action being communicated through the screw shaft 29 to the spreader 21 and through the spreader to the concrete to the end that the concrete will be. vibrated simultaneously as it is spread in theact of the spreader member 21 moving backwards and forwards across the roadway.

It will be understood that the spreader 21 may be controlled manually by the reversible motor, or conventional limit switches or stops well known in the art may be provided so that the limit switches will automatically reverse the movement of the transverse carriage 26 at the ends of its movement. The ends of such movement may be close to the side forms I6 or spaced a desired distance therefrom.

when mesh reinforcing is used the spreader plate 21 is adjusted down below the top surfaces of the forms l6. This dropped position of the lower edge of the spreader plate 21 is shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In rear of the transverse spreader plate 21 is a strike- 135 plate 46, which is adjustably carried by the screw shafts having threaded engagement with suitable fixed nuts 45 carried upon the bulkhead or outrigger frame or what might be called the front supplementary frame, these sf: shafts 44 being rotatable by hand wheels 46; screw shafts 44 and hand wheels 46 being two or more in number, as indicated in Figure 3; and the whole operating for the purpose of adjusting the strike off plate 43 in a vertical sense toward and from the subgrade and the plastic concrete.

On the main'carriage I1 there is carried a tamper 41 which is raised or lowered, or vibrated by the eccentrics 48 rotated by shaft 49. This shaft 49 is driven by the sprocket and chain transmission 56 from the motor 4|. The tamper beam 41 is provided with a plurality of vibrators 4i. Thus the member 41 forms a compression vibrator tamper. Suitable adjusting turnbuckles 52 are included in the eccentric arms by which the tamper beam 41 is supported from the eccentrics 48. The turnbuckles 52 may adjust the length of these arms to produce the proper pressure on the concrete.

The vibrators 5| may be of the electric or mechanical type, electrically or otherwise driven, so as to produce harsh vibration, to thus adequately vibrate the bottom course of the concrete to produce density.

After the bottom course of concrete has been laid and the reinforcing mesh 53 is positioned in place, the top course of concrete is positioned over the mesh as indicated by the heaps of concrete 54 in Figure 1. At this stage the transverse spreader plate 21 is raised to a higher level and the operation repeated, it being understood that the strike-off plate 43 is then raised accordingly; it being further understood that when required any of the plates 21, 43 or 66 may be raised clear 2f the roadway, that is out of position and funcion.

The screed member |9 screeds the material in the customary manner Following the screeding operation, the compression vibrated tamper 41 is adjusted to the proper position and the concrete tamped or compressed and simultaneously vibrated. The final finishing is done by the rear screed 55. This rear screed 66 is trailed back of the finishing machine by the universal members 56 or by any of the conventional methods well known in the art.

The lateral spreader illustrated and described in my prior Patent No. 1,979,850' was adequate for the spreading of the so-called wet mixes of that period; however, with the advent of harsh" or dry mixes, as now being specified, it has been found that spreading this concrete by manual labor is almost beyond human endurance and consequently the apparatus involving the transverse spreader blade 21 has been evolved for the purpose of dealing mechanically and adequately with these modern mixes in a manner well calculated to secure the rapid, uniform and complete spreading of such material.

Referring more particularly to Figures 6 and '7, a modification is herein disclosed in which the screed l3 carries the track member 23, the track member being an integral part of the screed. The carriage moves back and forth laterally as indicated in the direction of the double pointed arrow in Figure 6,

In addition to the spreader plate 21, I provide a supplemental spreader plate 66, which is pivoted, as indicated at 61, to an arm 61 of the carriage 26 through a universal knuckle joint.

This universal knuckle joint 61 is provided with a handle 66 which will permit the plate 66 to be rotated universally about the knuckle 61 whereby the plate may be suspended loosely so as not to "serve as'a spreading- 'u'nit yor' the knuckle 61 maybe tightened with th'e plate 66 in any suitable angular position, acting to throw the concrete at various angleseither' to or from the screed. The vibratingunit fl on the carriage will vibrate both the spreaderplates 21 and 66 and simultaneously will vibrate'the screed l9 because the wheels at one side of the transverse carriage 26 are supported directly on the front wall or apron of the screed 19 The screed reciprocates laterally independently of any movement of the carriage 26 and its Wheels supported on the track 23*.

It will be understood that suitable conventional means will be provided to raiseand lower the screed [9 but in this case such screed will necessarily have a limited movement because of the presence of the carriage 26 resting in part on the screed track 23 so that it will not be' 1. In a road building machine, a

What claimedi'si' Y 1 track extending transversely of the roadway, means for'supporting said track for movement along the roadway, a carriage having wheels rolling on said track, means for causing the reciprocating movement of the carriage back and forth on said However even a raised screed height track,a relatively short blade extending lengthwise -of the roadway "and-supported" adjustably from said carriage'to spread concrete forward of a screed to be surfaced by the screed simultaneously as the machine moves forward.

2. In a road building machine, a surfacing -member, a single flat spreading blade mounted forwardly of the surfacing member, withits edgewise'dimension longitudinally of the roadway,

means for moving said blade fiatwise continuously substantially completely across the roadway to spread the material deposited on the sub-grade in advance of the action of the surfacing member, a supplemental spreader positioned in advance of the spreader blade, and means for angularly adjusting said supplemental spreader to deflect material to one or the other side thereof and ofsaid main spreader member.

3. In a road building machine, a surfacing member, a single flat spreading blade mounted stance with the vibrated spreader which is followed by the'vibrated tamperyas well as the vibrated surfacing apparatus. All of these elements must be used to perform the necessary I operations. a

By vibrating the transversely moving spreading blade 21 and the longitudinal spreader, the concrete itself is compacted to avery high degree in accompaniment with the spreading action. The vibration communicated by'the screed contributes to the compaction of the concrete mass. Therefore by .these series of vibrated actions all taking place in short sequence and in the definite relations provided by the mounting of all these agencies on a single machine, I secure an improved concrete road body possessing stability and strength in'a road which has not been secured to this high degree heretofore.

The plate or blade 66 forms a lateral spreading unit in addition to the lateral spreading blade 21 and may be adjusted up-and down through the universal connection 61' or through any other suitable means. The arm 6! is supported by the carriage 26and carries the blade 66 back and forth across the roadway'with such carriage. By turning the blade 66 by means of the handle '68 to one angular position, the trans- 1 verse movement of the blade 66 across the roadway will have the effect to throw more material toward the screed. By reversing the angular'position of the blade 66 the transverse movement will throw the material away from the screed. In this way, simultaneously with the spreading action, a control of the spread concrete with reference to the screed is had by a simple adjustment.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above. specificallydescribed embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims,

forwardly of the surfacing member, with its edgewise dimension longitudinally of the roadway, means for moving said blade flatwise continuously substantially completely across the roadway to spread the material deposited on the sub-grade in advanceof the action of the surfacing member, a. supplemental thin fiat spreader blade mounted in advance of the first mentioned blade and in substantial longitudinal alinement therewith and movable transversely withsaid first mentioned spreader blade, and means for angularly adjusting said supplemental blade with reference to its longitudinal alinement with the first mentioned spreader blade.

4. In a road building machine, a track extending transversely of the roadway, means for supporting said track for movement along the roadway, a carriage movable on said track, means for causing the reciprocating movement of the cara screed to be surfaced by the screed simultanee ously as the machine moves forward.

5. .A road paving machine comprising a mobile truckadapted to travel on forms at eachside of v the areato be :paved, a transverse runwayon the truck. a carrier movable along the runway, a support depending from the carrier, spreader blade on the support set edgewise to the surface to be paved and extending longitudinally of the area being paved, means formoving the carrier back and forth whereby the spreader is caused to effect a preliminary'distribution of the paving materialwhich may be irregularly heaped in the space between the side forms, and transverse strikeoff means on the truck rearwardly'of the spreader for effecting a further and complementary paving operation. I

- 6. A road paving machine comprising a mobile truck adapted to travel on forms at each side of. the area to be paved, a transverse strike-off on said truck, a spreader blade extending longitudinally of the area to be paved and disposed forwardly of said strike-off, and means to cause efiect. a preliminary distribution of the, paving material prior to the action thereon of said strike-off.

-'7. A road surfacing machine comprising a main wheeled carriage, a transversely-reciprocated surfacing member carried by said carriage to surface road materials progressively as the carriage is moved longitudinally of the roadway, another carriage supported on the first-named carriage to move transversely across the roadway forwardly of said surfacing member progressively as the main carriage is moved longitudinally of the roadway, and spreader means extending longitudinally of the area to be paved and carriedby and movable with said secondnamed carriage.

JOHN N. HELTZEL. 

